TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Rock Creek Canyon has long been a gem of the Twin Falls parks system. But in recent years, the beloved recreation hot spot has seen an increase in garbage, overgrowth, and graffiti.
- More than 200 Magic Valley volunteers descended into Rock Creek Canyon on Friday.
- Crews spent the morning clearing brush and branches, with much of that debris ending up in woodchippers.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
A community effort unlike any before. More than 200 Magic Valley volunteers descended into Rock Creek Canyon on Friday to help clean up one of the most underrated trail systems in a city already full of excellent options.
“We are actually helping to clear out some old tree limbs and debris. They made a huge mess on Thursday and it's going to take these 200-plus volunteers out here today to help clean it up," said Heather Eastman, Ex, Dir, Idaho Business for the Outdoors.
Needless to say, it was a lot of work.
Crews spent the morning clearing brush and branches, with much of that debris ending up in woodchippers. And with plenty of projects to go around, others spent the morning painting over endless graffiti on the rocks and bridge supports along the trail.
"It makes you feel good to see that there are people out there that want to help make the community a better place and it's good to see all of the volunteers that want to be down here,” said Noah Heath, a volunteer from Clif Bar.
"I feel pretty honored to be a part of being able to make this clean. I take my kids out to do stuff all the time and this is one of the trails that we hit so it's super nice to see it in a good spot,” said Sarah Bean, a volunteer from Clif Bar.
"It feels pretty good, I've never been down here before. So, it's a pretty nice little place down here so it's nice to be here fixing it up and making it look nice again," said Anthony Alvey, another volunteer from Clif Bar.
And with a crowd this size, the work goes fast. Which made a significant difference for the City of Twin Falls.
"Isn't it awesome!? The kind of work and the kind of man-hours we can get out of a group like this today is probably six months' worth of work our department would try to do on our own," said Twin Falls Parks and Recreation Director, Wendy Davis.
And for Idaho Business for the Outdoors, who spearheaded the effort, having this big of an impact... This fast... That is what it's all about.
"Having 200 people show up means we can do a project of this size and really make a huge before and after difference in this area. I think it's going to be something people really sit up and take notice of and say 'ok, maybe we can go out and maybe we can do another event of this size again next year, or in another location,” said Eastman.
With community-led clean-up efforts like this, the city hopes to keep Rock Creek Canyon a shining gem of the community for years to come.
